Planning Process

 1

 Prestige Tours – Planning

Vision and mission – Become South Africa’s most sought after tour company, with the ‘best-experience-tours’ available for both foreigners and local South Africans.

Core purpose: Provide the ‘best-experience-tours’ of South Africa to customers, both foreign and local.

Strategy:

 Personal interaction with customers shall be pleasant and meaningful to ensure a positive feeling of security and service.

 Maintain strong and personal relationships with all stakeholders of the tours, ensuring best quality services and to ensure suppliers don’t have to sell their product themselves.

 Observe stringent security measures during all tours.

Values:

 We have a passion for travel, quality travel and South Africa.

 We are passionate about our customers.

The following threats are identified using Porter’s five forces model:

1. Supplier Power – there is a large number of suppliers – other tour agencies and the stakeholders themselves. Moderate to high threat.

2. Buyer Power – Narrow customer base and the seasonality of the tour can give the customer buying power. Low switching costs between travel agencies and other suppliers. Moderate to high threat.

3. Substitute Threat – Customers could plan their own tour, but as Prestige Tours aims to build constructive relationships with its stakeholders, they will not be able to substitute the service the tour company offers, the best and relaxed experience, everything taken care of, for a better price. Low threat.

4. New Entry Threat – slightly competitive – as other travel agencies are available for use, but customers do seek special service, which will be provided by Prestige Tours.

5. Rivalry – Moderate to high threat. Rivalry is quite high, therefore personal interaction with customers shall differentiate Prestige Tours from its rivals.

Strengths:

 Excellent and specialized knowledge and services due to extended outsourcing through stakeholders.

 Extensive knowledge of political and historical background of South Africa.

 Visual, creative and eye-catching marketing.

 Excellent customer service and personal interaction with customers.

Weakness

 New tour and unknown brand, does not have a long-standing reputation yet.

2

 Complex and integrated software needed to make bookings for customers and with stakeholders.

Strategic objectives:

 Improve/sustain partnerships and relationships with various company stakeholders in order to obtain the best possible outcomes.

 Introduce new products and tours – continuously update and implement new tour concepts, new marketing and create a dynamic environment within which tours can be added or edited according to the current customer needs and demands.

 Thoroughly analyze and implement customer feedback – increasing performance and quality of the company, empowering employees and stakeholders.